Conversations with God

It’s been a tough week. Personal problems + pressure from work = supposed to be a troubled, stressed out and tired body and soul. But because I walked with God and constantly conversed with Him through His word, I am more than fine. 🙂

I’d like to share a few verses from my daily conversations with God and hope you can also find time to read these verses from the Bible. (I just made up some of the titles for the verses and some were taken from the Bible that I used)

A New Beginning: John:15 

I am the true vine and my Father is the vinegrower. If any of my branches doesn’t bear fruit, he breaks it off; and he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, that it may bear even more fruit.

You are already made clean by the word I have spoken to you.. Live in me as I live in you. The branch cannot bear fruit by itself but has to remain part of the vine; so neither can you, if you don’t remain in me.

I am the vine and you are the branches. As long as you remain in me and I in you, you bear much fruit; but apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not remain in me is thrown away as they do with branches and they wither. Then they are gathered and thrown into the fire and burned.

If you remain in me and my words in you, you may ask whatever you want and it will be given to you. My Father is glorified when you bear much fruit: it is then that you become my disciples.

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; remain in my love. You will remain in my love if you keep my commandments, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

I have told you all this, that my own joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this, to give one’s life for one’s friends; and you are my friends if you do what I command you.

Increase your faith: Luke 17:1-6

Jesus said to his disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who has brought it about. It would be better for that one to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around the neck. Truly this would be better for that person than to cause one of these little ones to fall.

Be careful. If your brother offends you, rebuke him and if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he offends you seven times: “I’m sorry,’  forgive him.”

The apostles said to the Lord, “increase our faith.” And the Lord said, “If you have faith even the size of a mustard seed, you may say to this tree: ‘Be uprooted and plant yourself in the sea, ‘ and it will obey you.

God knows what He is doing: Job 38

Then Yahweh answered Job out of the storm: Who is this that obscures divine plans with ignorant words?

Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you and you must answer. Where were you when I founded the earth? Answer, and show me your knowledge. Do you know who determined its size, who stretched out its measuring line? On what were its bases set? Who liad its cornerstone, while the morning stars sang together and the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

Speak Lord, I will listen: Psalm 118

I will not die, I will live!

The stone rejected by the builders has become the keystone. Jesus applies to himself the symbol of the rejected stone and when he enters the Temple, the children sing: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Allelluiah! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, his loving kindness endures forever.

Let Israel say, His loving kindness endures forever…

In anguish, I cried to the Lord; he answered by setting me free. With the Lord beside me I need not fear. What can humans do to me? The Lord is with me, ready to help; I can look in triumph upon my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the help of humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in the might of princes.

All the nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I crushed them. They surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I crushed them. Like swarms of bees they encircled me; but like burning thorns they died down; in the name of the Lord I crushed them.

I was pushed hard and about to fall, but the Lord came to my help. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Joyful shouts of victory are heard in the tents of the just: the right hand of the Lord strikes mightily, the right hand of the Lord is lifted high, the right hand of the Lord strikes mightily!

I shall not die but live to proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has stricken me severely, but he has saved me from death.

Love of enemies:

But I say to you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you and pray for those who treat you badly. To the one who strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek; from the one who takes your coat, do not keep back your shirt. Give to the one who asks and if anyone has taken something from you, do not demand it back.

Do to others as you would have others  do to you. If you love only those who love you, what kind of graciousness is yours? Even sinners love those who love them. If you do favors to those who are good to you, what kind of graciousness is yours? Even sinners do the same. If you lend only when you expect to receive, what kind of graciousness is yours? For sinners also lend to sinners, expecting to receive something in return.

But love your enemies and do good to them, and lend when there is nothing to expect in return. Then will your reward be great and you will be sons and daughters of the Most High. For He is kind towards the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Don’t be a judge of others and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven, give and it will be given to you, and you will receive in your sack good measure, pressed down, full and running over. For the measure you give will be the measure you receive back.

A time for everything: Ecclesiastes 3

There is a given time for everything and a time for every happening under heaven;

A time for giving birth, a time for dying; a time for planting, a time for uprooting. A time for killing, a time for healing; a time for knocking down, a time for building. A time for tears, a time for laughter; a time for mourning, a time for dancing. A time for throwing stones, a time for gathering stones; a time for embracing, a time to refrain from embracing. A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for throwing away

Wicked ambitions: James 4

What causes these fights and quarrels among you? Is it not your cravings that make war within your own selves? When you long for something you cannot have, you kill for it and when you do not get what you desire, you squabble and fight. The fact is, you do not have what you want because you do not pray for it. You pray for something and you do not get it because you pray with the wrong motive of indulging your pleasures. You adulterers! Don’t you know that making friends with the world makes you enemies of God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be the world’s friend becomes God’s enemy.

Can you not see the point of the saying in Scripture: “The longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing?” But God has something better to give, and Scripture also says, God opposes the proud but he gives his favor to the humble. Give in, then, to God; resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw close to God and he will come close to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubters. Recognize your distress, be miserable and weep. Turn your laughter into tears and your joy into sadness. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will raise you up.

Brothers and sisters, do not criticize one another. Anyone who speaks against or condemns another, speaks against the Law and condemns the Law. If however, you condemn, the Law, you are no longer and observer of the Law but a judge of it. There is only one lawgiver and one judge: he who has the power to save or condemn. So you, who are you to judge you neighbor?

Listen now, you who speak like this, “Today or tomorrow we will go off to this city and spend a year there; we will do business and make money.”  You have no idea what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? No more than a mist which appears for a moment and then disappears. Instead of this, you should say, “God willing, we will live and do this or that.” But no! You boast of your plans: this brazen pride is wicked. Anyone who knows what is good and does not do it, sins.